The present invention relates to a microactuator for a disc drive system, and more particularly to a bimorph piezoelectric microactuator motor integrated into a head and flexure assembly.
The recording density of radial data tracks required in high performance disc drives continues to increase, necessitating higher resolution in head micropositioning devices to accommodate the decreased track pitch. Conventional actuators, utilizing a voice coil motor (VCM) for example, lack the precision to achieve the resolution required. Hence, an additional microactuator capable of adjusting the position of the head across several radial tracks with high precision must be implemented in the disc drive.
A number of solutions have been proposed to effect fine movement of the transducing head. The microactuator proposals have taken several forms, including a micro-motor attached directly to the slider and a piezoelectric microactuator implemented at the head mounting block connecting the head suspension to the actuator arm. However, no universally acceptable microactuator design has been found that combines manufacturing simplicity with superior performance characteristics, including a high movement-to-applied-voltage ratio, sufficient force for a given movement, and sufficient frequency response of the microactuator.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a microactuator design that is simple to manufacture and provides superior performance characteristics.